The Spurs are ranked second behind Boston among a group of title contenders that also includes Miami and the defending two-time champion Los Angeles Lakers. Chicago, Orlando and Dallas are listed among teams trying to crash the party that are considered close, but not at elite status.

Here’s what PBT’s Kurt Helin had to say about the Spurs:

“San Antonio Spurs (46-10). Nobody expected this. But the Spurs altered their attack — Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili are now the focal points, Tim Duncan works off them rather than being the hub. It works, they are the third-most efficient offense in the league. And they can still defend. They also have gotten great depth from George Hill, DeJuan Blair and Matt Bonner.”

No Spurs are listed among Helin’s top five contenders for the MVP. And maybe a little surprisingly, Helin chose Chicago coach Tom Thibodeau ahead of Gregg Popovich for his Coach of the Year and Jason Terry ahead of Hill for his Sixth Man of the Year.

There’s still about one-third of the season remaining. It will give the Spurs an ample opportunity for a strong finishing kick heading into the playoffs to help change some perceptions about the team.